Lewis l



(No Model.)

L. L. GHAPFIN. SLEIGH KNEE.

No. 527,319. tented Oct. 9, 1894.

illlllll Inventor.

AttofneyS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, LEWIS CHAFFIN, OF MONTIOELLO, MINNESOTA.

SVLEIGH-KNEE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettrslatent No. 527,319, dated October 9, 1894. Application filed Tannery 6, 1894:. Serial No. 495,943- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS L. UHAFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Monticello, in the county of Wright and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleigh-Knees; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in knees for bob sleighs, and the object in view is to provide a simple, strong and durable construction of the knee and to enable the knee-beam and the runner to have an oscillating or rocking motion relative to each other to accommodate the knee to unevenness or irregularities in the surface of the ground.

With these ends in view, the first part of the invention consists in the combination with a beam and a runner, of a knee having its lower end rigidly fastened to the runner and with its upper end bifurcated or forked to form diverging arms, spaced eyes or bearings rigid with the transverse beam and arranged to fit on opposite sides of the forked arms of the knee, and a horizontal bolt or shaft passing through the forked arms of the runner and the spaced bearings on the beam, whereby the beam and knee are connected together to enable the beam to have a rocking or oscillating motion on the knee.

My invention further consists in the combination with the knee, the spaced hearings on the transverse beam, the pivotal bolt, a brace having an eye at an intermediate point of its length for the reception of one end of the pivotal bolt and having its opposite ends attached to the runner on opposite sides of the knee, and another brace attached at one end to the runner and having its rear end fastened to the other end of the pivotal bolt, whereby the bolt not only serves to connect the knee and beam together but also as the support for the rods which serve to strengthen and brace the knee; and the invention further consists in the novel means for attaching t knee to the runner and it finally consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the runner and one of the braces on the line a: m of Fig. 1, showing the knee and beam in rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a detached detail view of the knee, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of a part of the transverse beam.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings,

referring to which- A designates the runner of my bob sleigh which has the usual configuration or shape, 1 e., the horizontal flat part and the upturned front end a; and the lower side of this runnor is faced by the'metallic shoe, a, which extends from end to end of the runner and is secured thereto in any desirable manner.

Bis the transverse beam which extends at right angles across the bob from one runner to the other, and the lower side of this beam is faced and reinforced bya metallic plate, b. Near each end, this beam is provided with the bearings or eyes, indicated at c, c, and d, 01, said bearings being arranged or spaced into two groups which are suitably spaced apart to accommodate the forked arms or members of the uprightknee.

The knee, E, is preferably made in a single piece of wrought iron for great strength and durability, although I do not strictly confine myself to this particular material. The upper end of the knee, E, is bifurcated or forked to provide the diverging arms or branches, e, f, one of which branches, 6, rises vertically in the plane of the knee so as to fit between the members a, c of one group of the bearings, while the other arm, f, is curved or deflected laterally with respect to the runner so that its upper extremity is fitted between the members, d, d of the other group, whereby the forked arms of the knee are individually confined between a group of bearings so that the beam cannot have endwise play or movement with respect to the runner. Through aligned holes or openings in the bearings and in the forked arms of the knee passes the pivotal bolt, F, and on the ends of this bolt are fitted the braces, G, H, which .serve to strengthen the k'nee'and rendersit inore durable. One of the braces, G, is a continuous brace as it extends in both directions beyond W the upright knee, one end of the brace being bolted to the rear endof the runnerwhile its other end is carried and fastened to the curved front end of the runner by the bolt, 9, said continuous brace having an eye at an; intermediate point of its length through which the pivotal bolt F is passed. The other braceH has its rear end fitted on the oppo site end of the pivotal bolt and its front end is fastened to the upturned fronte'nd of the runner by the same bolt, g, that fastens the corresponding end of thecontinuous brace to the runner. The head of the pivotal bolt bears against one of the braces,.preferably the brace G while the nut on the pivotal bolt bears against the other braceyso that the braces lie outside of the bearings c, d, and

are confined between said bearings'and the stantial durable structure of great simplicity and strength.

The lower end of the upright knee is forked and formed with the diverging ends'or feet,

a, Land each of these feet is so formed as to enable the bolt *holej to be pierced therein and to-accommodate the pendent -tenon,.k, which tenon is preferably integral-with the foot. The tenon isadapted to be fitted in a mortise or socket formed in the runner, and

throughtherunner, .its shoe, and the bolt- =hole j in the foot passes the boltJ, whereby the lower part of the knee is securely fastened 40 "right to make such modifications as fairly fall within the scope of the invention.

Havingthus fullydescribed my invention, what I claim as new,'and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is

The combination with a runner, and a beam, of the upright knee forked at its upper end and fastened to the runner, the spaced 'groups of bearings rigid with the beam and receiving the upper forkedarms of the knee between themselves, the pivotal bolt, the continuous brace fitted on the bolt and fastened at its ends to the runner, and another brace fastened to the runner atone endand to the bolt at its opposite end, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS L. OHAFFIN.. Witnesses:

JAMES C. TARBOX, F. C. HITTER. 

